1. Priority Claim
This application claims the benefit of priority to EPO application Serial No. 08425130.5 filed on Feb. 29, 2008.
2. Technical Field
This disclosure concerns a system and method for providing dynamic access session configuration information for telecommunications subscribers, and subscriber access notifications that include user session information for application platforms. In particular, this disclosure relates to an efficient and effective way to dynamically configure, register and notify an application platform of access session parameters for telecommunications subscribers so that provisioned services may be accessed by many different access channels based upon static and dynamically maintained information in the subscriber profile and the access channel used by the subscriber, respectively.
3. Background Information
Rapid advances in computer system and telecommunications technology have lead to a vast array of access channels used by consumers to access telecommunication services. Such access channels include wireline, Ethernet™, WiFi™ and asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) channels, and many other channels. Similarly, consumers use an immensely broad spectrum of devices to communicate over the access channels, including cell phones, personal data assistants (e.g., Blackberry™ devices), computers, television set top boxes, satellite transceivers, and gaming systems (e.g., the Playstation 3™ console), each of which has its own characteristics and capabilities. Furthermore, many consumers use multiple and concurrent access channels and devices to access services using a single account or subscriber profile.
The hardware underlying the access channels implements circuit switched connections, packet switched connections, and other types of connections. In addition, a wide range of communication protocols and access technologies further govern the transfer of data on the connections. Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL), Multi-protocol Label Switching (MPLS), Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), and other technologies are several examples of a wide array of access technologies for telecommunications services.
Growing support of new and existing telecommunications services and the wide range of access channels used to access those services have led to an extensive dispersal of subscriber profile information between many different operation support systems (OSS) that support the services and various access session configurations needed to access the services. The dispersal of subscriber profile information and access channel configurations leads to the inefficient proliferation of custom interfaces between systems and applications that need the profile information to authorize or authenticate access, determine which services are subscribed, and determine how to configure access to the services. Thus, in the past there was no sufficiently secure, flexible, and efficient mechanism that met the technical challenges associated with providing a single point of access to subscriber profile information, dynamically configuring access channel parameters to accommodate the immense number of combinations and permutations of access devices and access channels, and providing application platforms an aggregated view of subscriber profile and network access information with a common interface.
A need has long existed for a system and method for a telecommunications service provider to efficiently and dynamically configure multiple different access channels used by subscribers to access services, and provide real-time notification of subscriber connection events.